110 HCON 344 EH: Recognizing the disproportionate impact of the global food crisis on children in the developing world. U.S. House of Representatives 0 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 344 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Recognizing the disproportionate impact of the global food crisis on children in the developing world.

Whereas according to the United Nations, over 850,000,000 people in the world are chronically or acutely malnourished, and over 300,000,000 of these are children; Whereas the 2000 United Nations Millennium Development Summit called for halving the proportion of hungry people in the world by the year 2015, but progress reaching this goal has been slow, and, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, only the Latin American and Caribbean region has been reducing the prevalence of hunger quickly enough to reach this target; Whereas every year, malnutrition caused by chronic hunger leads to the death of an estimated 5,600,000 children under 5 years old; Whereas, according to UNICEF, an estimated 146,000,000 children, or roughly one in every four children under 5 years old, are underweight; Whereas hunger and malnutrition weaken the immune system, and as a result treatable diseases pose a greater risk to malnourished children; Whereas even temporary deprivation of essential nutrients can have a lasting impact on children's physical growth and intellectual potential; Whereas children who are only mildly underweight are twice as likely to die of infectious diseases as children who are better nourished, and children who are moderately or severely underweight are 5 to 8 times more likely to die of infectious diseases; Whereas according to a study conducted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 45 percent of children who died after contracting measles were malnourished, as were 60 percent of children who died after contracting severe diarrhea; Whereas chronic hunger and undernutrition can lead to growth retardation (stunting), affecting an estimated 168,000,000 children under the age of 5 in developing countries; Whereas some 42 percent of children under the age of 5 are stunted in the least developed countries, compared to 30 percent globally; Whereas women whose growth was stunted face ongoing health complications as adults, are more likely to have obstructed labor, are at greater risk of dying during childbirth, and are more likely to deliver children who are premature and stunted; Whereas stunted growth has also been linked to diminished work capacity and higher propensity to diseases, including diabetes and heart disease, in adults; Whereas the global community is currently facing a food crisis, with food prices doubling over the past 3 years and rising 65 percent between January and April 2007 alone, and the World Bank has estimated that the emergency situation could push 100,000,000 people in low-income countries deeper into poverty; Whereas in times of food crisis, families often must cut more expensive foods, such as meat, fruit, and vegetables, from their diets, instead relying on less nutritious staples such as rice and maize, foods without the nutrients necessary for proper child growth; Whereas, on June 3, 2008, through June 5, 2008, more than 180 countries, including more than 40 heads of state and more than 100 ministers, attended and participated in the High Level Conference on World Food Security in Rome, Italy; Whereas at the High Level Conference on World Food Security, the participating countries pledged to increase their assistance for developing countries, in particular least developed countries and those that are most negatively affected by high food prices; and Whereas the G8 member states declared at the 2008 Hokkaido Toyko Summit their commitment to addressing urgent needs of the most vulnerable people suffering from the global food crisis and to increasing investment in long-term agricultural development and for programs that respond to the underlying causes of food insecurity: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of Congress that— (1)in emergency situations, children have different needs than those of adults, and nutritional deficiencies disproportionately affect children; (2)in the context of the current global food crisis, the nutritional needs of children must be a humanitarian priority; and (3)the United States and the other G8 member states should continue to monitor the impact of the global food crisis on children and commit to increasing their assistance to respond to the global food crisis, and specifically, responding to the needs of children impacted by the global food crisis.

Passed the House of Representatives September 9, 2008.Lorraine C. Miller,Clerk.